1 Samuel

CHAPTER 1

Now there was a certain man from Ramathaimzophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite,
2 and he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 And this man would go up from his city year to year, to worship and to sacrifice unto YEHOWAH of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests unto YEHOWAH there.
4 And it came to pass, on the day that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters;
5 but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but YEHOWAH had closed her womb.
6 And her adversary provoked her spitefully, to irritate her, because YEHOWAH had closed her womb.
7 And it was so, year after year, as often as she went up to the house of YEHOWAH, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.
8 And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, and why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 Then Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. (Now Eli the priest sat upon the seat by the doorpost of the temple of YEHOWAH;)
10 and she, in bitterness of soul, prayed to YEHOWAH and wept with tears,
11 and she vowed a vow and said, “O YEHOWAH of hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me, and not forget Your handmaid, but will give Your handmaid a son, then I will give him to YEHOWAH all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come upon his head.”
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before YEHOWAH, that Eli observed her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, spoke in her heart; only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.
14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.”
15 And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before YEHOWAH.
16 Consider not your handmaid as a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and provocation have I spoken until now.”
17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the Elohim of Israel grant you the petition that you have asked of Him.”
18 And she said, “Let your handmaid find favor in your sight.” And the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was fallen no more.
19 And they rose up early in the morning, and worshiped before YEHOWAH, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and YEHOWAH remembered her.
20 And it came to pass, when the time arrived after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of YEHOWAH.”
21 Then the man Elkanah went up, with all his household, to offer unto YEHOWAH the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before YEHOWAH, and abide there forever.”
23 And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may YEHOWAH establish His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull, and one ephah of flour, and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of YEHOWAH in Shiloh; and the child was young.
25 And they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli,
26 and she said, “Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying unto YEHOWAH.
27 For this boy I prayed, and YEHOWAH has given me my petition, which I asked of Him.
28 Moreover, I have lent him to YEHOWAH; and as long as he lives he shall be lent to YEHOWAH.” And he worshiped YEHOWAH there.

CHAPTER 2

Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices in YEHOWAH; my horn is exalted in YEHOWAH; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I am joyful in Your salvation.
2 There is none holy as YEHOWAH, indeed, there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our Elohim.
3 Talk no more with exceeding pride, nor let arrogance come out of your mouth; for YEHOWAH is an El of knowledge, and with Him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, but they that stumble are girded on strength.
5 They that were full have hired themselves out for bread, but the hungry cease to hunger. Even the barren gives birth to seven, but she who has many children languishes.
6 YEHOWAH kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 YEHOWAH makes poor and rich; He brings low, He lifts up.
8 He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the dunghill to set them among nobles, and inherit a seat of glory; for the pillars of the earth are YEHOWAH’S, and He has set the world upon them.
9 He guards the feet of His pious ones, but the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by might shall no man prevail.
10 The adversaries of YEHOWAH will be broken to pieces; from heaven will He thunder against them, YEHOWAH will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house, but the boy ministered unto YEHOWAH before Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not YEHOWAH,
13 and the priest’s custom with the people: when any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was seething, with a flesh hook of three-prongs in his hand,
14 and he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15 Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.”
16 And if anyone said to him, “Let them not fail to burn the fat first, and then take as much as your soul desires,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.”
17 And the sin of the young men was very great before YEHOWAH, for the young men despised the offering of YEHOWAH;
18 but Samuel was ministering before YEHOWAH, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.
19 And his mother would make him a little coat and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying, “YEHOWAH give you seed from this woman for the loan of the one she lent to YEHOWAH.” And they went to their own home.
21 And YEHOWAH visited Hannah; and she conceived and begat three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before YEHOWAH.
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
23 And he said to them, “Why do you such things; the evil things that I hear from all these people?
24 No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear; you make YEHOWAH’S people transgress.
25 If one man sin against another, Elohim will intercede for him; but if a man sins against YEHOWAH, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for YEHOWAH desired to slay them.
26 And the boy Samuel grew on, both in stature and in favor with YEHOWAH and with men.
27 And a man of Elohim came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says YEHOWAH, ‘Did I not plainly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, in Pharaoh’s house?
28 And choose him from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me; and did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Why do you trample upon My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My Tabernacle, and honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’
30 Therefore YEHOWAH Elohim of Israel says, ‘I said indeed, that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now YEHOWAH says, ‘Be it far from Me – for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
32 You will see the distress of My Tabernacle, amid all the good that is done for Israel; and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.
33 Yet not every man of your house will be cut off from My altar, so that your eyes will not fail from weeping and your soul grieve, but all the increase of your house will die in the vigor of their life.
34 And this will be the sign to you, which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they will die; both of them.
35 And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him a sure house, and he will walk before My anointed forever.
36 And it shall come to pass that all who are left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread and say, “Allow me, please, to fill one of the priest’s offices, so that I may eat a piece of bread.”‘”

CHAPTER 3

And the boy Samuel ministered unto YEHOWAH before Eli. And word from YEHOWAH was precious in those days; visions were not.
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli lie down in his place (now his eyes began to grow dim; he could not see),
3 and the lamp of Elohim had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of YEHOWAH where the Ark of Elohim was,
4 that YEHOWAH called Samuel; and he said, “Here am I.”
5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here am I, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
6 And YEHOWAH called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here am I, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know YEHOWAH, nor had the word of YEHOWAH yet been revealed to him.
8 And YEHOWAH called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here am I, for you called me.” And Eli discerned that YEHOWAH had called the boy.
9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and it shall be, if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, YEHOWAH, for Your servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then YEHOWAH came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is hearing.”
11 And YEHOWAH said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
12 In that day I`will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged by sacrifice or offering forever.”
15 And Samuel lay until morning, and opened the doors of the house of YEHOWAH. But Samuel feared to declare the vision to Eli.
16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here am I.”
17 And he said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not keep it back from me. Elohim do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.”
18 And Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is YEHOWAH; let Him do what is good in His sight.”
19 And Samuel grew, and YEHOWAH was with him and let none of his words fail.
20 And all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of YEHOWAH.
21 And YEHOWAH appeared again at Shiloh, because YEHOWAH revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of YEHOWAH.

CHAPTER 4

And the word spoken by Samuel came to pass in all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and encamped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines encamped in Aphek.
2 And the Philistines put themselves up in battle array against Israel. When the battle enjoined, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, and they slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has YEHOWAH defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring to ourselves the Ark of the Covenant of YEHOWAH from Shiloh, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the Ark of the Covenant of YEHOWAH of hosts, who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of Elohim.
5 And when the Ark of the Covenant of YEHOWAH came into the encampment, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth shook.
6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And they understood that the Ark of YEHOWAH had come into the camp.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “Elohim has come into the encampment.” And they said, “Woe to us! For there has not been anything like this before;
8 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty elohim? These are the elohim who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
9 Be valiant and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.”
10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11 And the Ark of Elohim was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died,
12 and there ran a man of Benyahmin, out of the battle, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head.
13 And when he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the Ark of Elohim. And the man came to tell it in the city, and the entire city cried out.
14 When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, “What is the noise of this tumult?” Then the man came hastily and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see.
16 And the man said to Eli, “I came out of the battle. I fled today out of the army.” And he asked, “What has taken place, my son?”
17 Then the messenger said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark of Elohim has been taken.”
18 And it came to pass, when he mentioned the Ark of Elohim; that he fell off the seat backward, beside the gate, and his neck broke, and he died, for he was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19 And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’s wife, was pregnant and about to beget; and when she heard the news that the Ark of Elohim was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she knelt down and begat, for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Fear not, for you have begotten a son.” But she answer not, nor did she show regard.
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the Ark of Elohim was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of Elohim was taken.”

CHAPTER 5

And the Philistines took the Ark of Elohim and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 Then the Philistines took the Ark of Elohim and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3 And when the Ashdodites rose up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the Ark of YEHOWAH. So they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
4 But when they rose up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the Ark of YEHOWAH. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the fish-stump was left to him.
5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 And the hand of YEHOWAH was heavy on them of Ashdod, and He devastated them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.
7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The Ark of the Elohim of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our elohim.”
8 They sent, therefore, and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, “What shall we do with the Ark of the Elohim of Israel?” And they said, “Let the Ark of the Elohim of Israel be brought around to Gath.” And they brought the Ark of the Elohim of Israel about.
9 And it was, that after they had brought it about, the hand of YEHOWAH was against the city with very great confusion; and He smote the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
10 So they sent the Ark of Elohim to Ekron. And as the Ark of Elohim came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought about the Ark of the Elohim of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.”
11 And they sent therefore, and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, “Send away the Ark of the Elohim of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.” For there was deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of Elohim was very heavy there.
12 And those who did not die were smitten with tumors and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

CHAPTER 6

And the Ark of YEHOWAH was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the Ark of YEHOWAH? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.”
3 They said, “If you send away the Ark of the Elohim of Israel, send it not empty; but you must, at any rate, return to Him a guilt offering. Then you shall be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
4 Then they said, “What guilt offering shall we return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon all of you, and upon your lords.
5 Therefore, you shall make images of your tumor mounds and images of the mice that ravage the land; thus you shall give glory to the Elohim of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your elohim, and your land.
6 Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had dealt severely with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?
7 Now therefore, take and prepare a new cart and two nursing cows, on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calf’s home, away from them.
8 Take the Ark of YEHOWAH and set it upon the cart; and put the articles of gold that you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go.
9 And see, if it goes up by the way of its own coast, to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”
10 And the men did so, and took two nursing cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calf’s at home,
11 and they set the Ark of YEHOWAH on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors,
12 and the cows went straight forward in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13 And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the Ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14 The cart came into the field of Yehoshuah the Beth-shemite, and stood there where there was a great stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to YEHOWAH.
15 And the Levites took down the Ark of YEHOWAH, and the box that was with it, in which were the jewels of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day unto YEHOWAH.
16 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.
17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to YEHOWAH: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
18 and the golden mice; the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of rustic villages. The large stone on which they set the Ark of YEHOWAH is to this day in the field of Yehoshuah the Beth-shemite.
19 And He struck the people of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the Ark of YEHOWAH. He struck down of all the people, fifty thousand and seventy men, and the people mourned because YEHOWAH had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 The people of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before YEHOWAH, this holy Elohim? And to whom shall He go up from us?”
21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the Ark of YEHOWAH; come down and take it up to you.”

CHAPTER 7

And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the Ark of YEHOWAH, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the Ark of YEHOWAH.
2 And it came to pass, that the Ark remained at Kiriath-jearim a long time; for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after YEHOWAH.
3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to YEHOWAH with all your heart, remove the foreign elohim and the Ashtaroth from among you, and set your hearts unto YEHOWAH, and serve Him only; He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4 Then the children of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served YEHOWAH only.
5 And Samuel said, “Gather together all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to YEHOWAH for you.”
6 They gathered together at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before YEHOWAH, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against YEHOWAH.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they feared the Philistines.
8 Then the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry to YEHOWAH our Elohim for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering unto YEHOWAH; and Samuel cried to YEHOWAH for Israel and YEHOWAH answered.
10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But YEHOWAH thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were defeated before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car.
12 And Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far YEHOWAH has helped us.”
13 So the Philistines were subdued and they came no more within the borders of Israel. And the hand of YEHOWAH was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.
17 And his return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he built there an altar to YEHOWAH.

CHAPTER 8

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons judges over Israel;
2 the name of his firstborn was Yehel, and the name of his second, Abiyah; and they judged in Beersheba.
3 His sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after unjust gain, took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5 and they said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons walk not in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to YEHOWAH.
7 And YEHOWAH said to Samuel, “Hear the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them;
8 according to all the deeds that they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt, even to this day, in that they have forsaken Me and served other elohim; so they are doing to you also.
9 Now therefore, hear their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and declare unto them the ordinance of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 And Samuel spoke all the words of YEHOWAH to the people that had asked of him a king.
11 He said, “This will be the ordinance of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.
12 He will appoint for himself captains of thousands and of fifties, and some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and instruments for his chariots.
13 He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers,
14 and he will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers, and to his servants,
16 and he will also take your men-servants and your handmaids, and the best of your young, and your asses, and will use them for his work.
17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
18 And you will cry out in that day, because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but YEHOWAH will not answer you in that day.”
19 And the people refused to hear the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but we shall have a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in YEHOWAH’S hearing.
22 And YEHOWAH said to Samuel, “Hear their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

CHAPTER 9

Now there was a man of Benyahmin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benyahminite, a mighty man of valor.
2 And he had a son named Saul; a choice, and young and handsome man; and there was not among the children of Israel a more handsome person than he; and from his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.
3 Now the asses of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Please take with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the asses.”
4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found not. Then they passed through the land of Shualim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of Benyahmin, but they found not.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant with him, “Come, and let us return, or else my father will cease caring about the asses and become anxious for us.”
6 And he said to him, “Behold now, in this city is a man of Elohim, an honorable man; and all that he says surely comes to pass. Now let us go there, perhaps he can show us the way we should go.”
7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is no present to bring to the man of Elohim. What do we have?”
8 And the servant answered Saul again and said, “Behold, I have here in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of Elohim and he will tell us our way.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of Elohim, he used to say, “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for a prophet now, was formerly called a seer.)
10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of Elohim was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12 And they answered them and said, “He is; behold, he is before you. Make haste now, for he has come this day to the city, because the people offer a sacrifice this day on the high place.
13 As soon as you come into the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for at this time you will find him.”
14 So they went up to the city, and as they came into the midst of the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.
15 Now YEHOWAH had told Samuel, in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benyahmin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, YEHOWAH said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This man shall rule over My people.”
18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the midst of the city and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
19 And Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your heart.
20 As for your asses that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and all your father’s household?”
21 And Saul said, “Am I not a Benyahminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benyahmin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?”
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.
23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.'”
24 Then the cook took up the leg, with what was on it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Behold, that which has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof.
26 And they rose early; and it came to pass, at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul rose up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
27 As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us (and he passed on), but you, stand still now, that I may show the word of Elohim to you.”

CHAPTER 10

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, “Is it not because YEHOWAH has anointed you as ruler over His inheritance?
2 When you go from me today, you will find two men close to Rachel’s burying place, in the territory of Benyahmin, at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The asses that you went to seek have been found. Now behold, your father has abandoned concern for the asses, and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do for my son?”‘
3 Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to Elohim at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a vessel of wine;
4 and they will inquire of your welfare, and give you two loaves of bread, which you will receive from their hand.
5 After that you will come to the hill of Elohim where is the garrison of the Philistine’s; and it shall come to pass, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre before them, and they shall prophesy.
6 And The Spirit of YEHOWAH will come upon you mightily, and you will prophesy with them, and be changed into another man.
7 And it shall be, when these signs come to you, you shall do whatever your hand shall find, for Elohim is with you.
8 And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. And you shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”
9 And it was, that when he turned his back to go from Samuel, Elohim changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.
10 When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and The Spirit of Elohim came upon him mightily, and he prophesied among them.
11 And it came to pass, when all who knew him before, saw that he prophesied with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 And a man of that place answered and said, “Now, who is the father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13 And when he had ended prophesying, he came to the high place,
14 and Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the asses, but when we saw that they could not be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”
16 So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the asses had been found.” But of the matter of the kingdom, that Samuel spoke, he told him not.
17 And Samuel called the people together to YEHOWAH at Mizpah;
18 and he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says YEHOWAH, the Elohim of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
19 But you have this day rejected your Elohim, who saves you from all your adversities and tribulations; and have said unto Him, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before YEHOWAH by your tribes and by your families.”
20 And Samuel caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, and the tribe of Benyahmin was chosen by lot.
21 And he caused the tribe of Benyahmin to come near, by its families, and the Matri family was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken; and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they inquired of YEHOWAH further, “Has the man come here?” And YEHOWAH said, “Behold, he has hidden himself by the baggage.”
23 And they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom YEHOWAH has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, “Save the king!”
25 Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before YEHOWAH. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.
26 Saul also went to his house at Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men whose hearts Elohim had touched,
27 but the children of Belial said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.

CHAPTER 11

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “I will make it with you on this thing: that I will thrust out all your right eyes, thus I will make it a reproach on all Israel.”
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers into all the territory of Israel, and if there is none to save us, we will come out to you.”
4 Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the ears of the people, and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5 And behold, Saul came after the herd from the field, and he said, “What is with the people that they weep?” So they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.
6 Then The Spirit of Elohim came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and his anger was kindled greatly.
7 And he took a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever comes not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the fear of YEHOWAH fell upon the people, and they came out as one person.
8 And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Yehudah thirty thousand.
9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.'” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
10 Then the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good in your sight.”
11 And it came to pass the next morning, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the encampment, at the morning watch, and struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it was, that those who remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring those men, that we may put them to death.”
13 But Saul said, “There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today YEHOWAH has brought forth salvation in Israel.”
14 Then said Samuel to the people, “Come and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.”
15 And all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before YEHOWAH in Gilgal. There they also sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before YEHOWAH; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

CHAPTER 12

And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have heard your voice in all that you said to me, and I have appointed a king over you.
2 And now, behold, the king walks before you, but I am old and gray-headed, and behold my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my childhood even to this day.
3 Here am I; bear witness against me before YEHOWAH and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose ass have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.”
4 And they said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 He said to them, “YEHOWAH is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is YEHOWAH who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 And now stand still, that I may plead with you before YEHOWAH, of all the righteous acts of YEHOWAH that He did for you and your fathers.
8 When Jacob went into Egypt and your fathers cried out to YEHOWAH, then YEHOWAH sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 But they forgot YEHOWAH their Elohim, so He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
10 And they cried out to YEHOWAH and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken YEHOWAH and have served Baalim and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’
11 Then YEHOWAH sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hands of your enemies round about, so that you dwelt in security.
12 And when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when YEHOWAH your Elohim was your king.
13 And now behold, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, YEHOWAH has set a king over you.
14 If you will fear YEHOWAH and serve Him, and hear His voice and not rebel against the commandment of YEHOWAH, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will continue following YEHOWAH your Elohim.
15 But if you will not hear the voice of YEHOWAH, and rebel against the commandment of YEHOWAH, then the hand of YEHOWAH will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 Now therefore, take your stand and see the great thing that YEHOWAH will do before your eyes.
17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to YEHOWAH, that He sends thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of YEHOWAH by asking for yourselves a king.”
18 And Samuel called unto YEHOWAH, and YEHOWAH sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared YEHOWAH and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to YEHOWAH your Elohim, for your servants, that we die not, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king.”
20 And Samuel said to the people, “Fear not. You have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following YEHOWAH, but serve YEHOWAH with all your heart;
21 and turn you not aside, to go after vain things that cannot profit or deliver, because they are vain.
22 For YEHOWAH will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake, because YEHOWAH has been pleased to make you His people.
23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against YEHOWAH by ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you in the good and right way.
24 Only fear YEHOWAH and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
25 But if you still do wickedly, you will perish, both you and your king.”

CHAPTER 13

Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and in the second year of his reign,
2 Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Mikmas and in the hill country of Bethel, while one thousand were with Yehnathan at Gibeah of Benyahmin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to their tent.
3 And Yehnathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
4 All Israel heard say, that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.
5 And the Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel; thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and encamped in Mikmas, east of Beth-aven.
6 When the people of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in strong holds, in high places, and in pits.
7 And the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.
9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
10 And it came to pass that as soon as he came to an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him,
11 but Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had gathered together at Mikmas,
12 therefore, said I, ‘The Philistines will now come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto YEHOWAH.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of YEHOWAH your Elohim, which He commanded you, for now YEHOWAH would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. YEHOWAH has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and YEHOWAH has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what YEHOWAH commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel rose up and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benyahmin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16 And Saul and his son Yehnathan, and the people who were present with them, were staying in Geba of Benyahmin, while the Philistines encamped at Mikmas.
17 And spoilers came from the encampment of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual,
18 and another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no smith found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrew make swords or spears.”
20 So all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man, to sharpen his plowshare, his pickaxe, his fork, and his hoe.
21 Yet they had a file for the edges of the plowshare, the pickaxe, the fork and the hoe when the edges were blunted; and to set the goads.
22 And it came to pass on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Yehnathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Yehnathan.
23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Mikmas.

CHAPTER 14

And it came to pass one day, that Yehnathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us pass over to the other side, to the garrison of the Philistines.” But he did not tell his father.
2 And Saul tarried at the outermost part of Gibeah, under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron. And the people with him were about six hundred men,
3 and Ahiyah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of YEHOWAH at Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Yehnathan had gone.
4 Now between the passes by which Yehnathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
5 One crag formed a pillar that rose up on the north, opposite to Mikmas, and the other southward, opposite Geba.
6 And Yehnathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps YEHOWAH will work for us, for YEHOWAH is not restrained to save by many or by few.”
7 And his armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and behold, I am with you according to your heart.”
8 Then said Yehnathan, “Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them,
9 and if they say to us, ‘Stand still until we come to you’; then we will stay in our place and not go up to them,
10 but if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for YEHOWAH has given them into our hands; and this shall be the sign to us.”
11 And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, “Behold, the Hebrew are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”
12 And the men of the garrison answered Yehnathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will show you something.” And Yehnathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for YEHOWAH has given them into the hands of Israel.”
13 Then Yehnathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armor bearer after him; and they fell before Yehnathan, and his armor bearer slew after him.
14 And that first slaughter, which Yehnathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were, about half a furrow in an acre of land.
15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the spoilers trembled, and the earth quaked, for it was a very great trembling.
16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benyehmin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away; and they went on overcoming.
17 And Saul said to the people who were with him, “Number now and see who has gone from us.” And when they had numbered, behold, Yehnathan and his armor bearer were not there.
18 Then Saul said to Ahiyah, “Bring here the Ark of Elohim.” For the Ark of Elohim was at that time with the children of Israel.
19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, the noise in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled together and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
21 Moreover, the Hebrew who were with the Philistines before that time, who had gone up with them into the camp round about; they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Yehnathan.
22 And when all the men of Israel, who hid in the hill country of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued hard after them in the battle.
23 So YEHOWAH saved Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond Beth-aven.
24 Now the men of Israel were oppressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, that I may be avenged of my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
25 And all the people of the land came to a forest, and there was honey on the ground,
26 and when the people entered the forest, behold, a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
27 But Yehnathan heard not when his father adjured the people; therefore, he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes shone.
28 Then said one of the people, “Your father strictly adjured the people, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.'” And the people were wearied.
29 Then Yehnathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes shine, because I tasted a little of this honey.
30 How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today, of the spoil of their enemies, which they found! For would there not now have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”
31 And they struck the Philistines that day from Mikmas to Aijalon. And the people were very weary.
32 And the people swooped upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate with the blood.
33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people sin against YEHOWAH in that they eat with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt deceitfully; roll a great stone unto me this day.”
34 And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Bring me here, every one their ox, and every one their sheep, and slaughter it here, and eat; and do not sin against YEHOWAH by eating with the blood.'” And all the people that night brought each one their ox, and slaughtered it there.
35 And Saul built an altar to YEHOWAH; this was the first altar that he built to YEHOWAH.
36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” Then the priests said, “Let us draw near to Elohim here.”
37 And Saul inquired of Elohim, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But He answered him not that day.
38 And Saul said, “Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see wherein this sin has been this day,
39 For as YEHOWAH lives, who saves Israel, even if it be in Yehnathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not one of all the people answered him.
40 Then he said to all Israel, “Be you on one side and I and Yehnathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
41 And Saul said to YEHOWAH, the Elohim of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Yehnathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.
42 And Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Yehnathan my son.” And Yehnathan was taken.
43 Then Saul said to Yehnathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Yehnathan told him and said, “I did but taste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand; and behold, I must die!”
44 And Saul said, “May Elohim do this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Yehnathan.”
45 But the people said to Saul, “Shall Yehnathan die, who has brought about this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! As YEHOWAH lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with Elohim this day.” So the people rescued Yehnathan that he died not.
46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
47 So Saul took the kingship over Israel, and he fought against all his enemies round about; against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he dealt harshly.
48 And he did valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and saved Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
49 Now the sons of Saul were Yehnathan and Ishvi and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal,
50 and the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52 And there was violent war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he took him to himself.

CHAPTER 15

And Samuel said to Saul, “YEHOWAH sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, hear the words of YEHOWAH.
2 “Thus says YEHOWAH of hosts, ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel; how he set himself against him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; and spare them not, but slay man, woman, child, infant, ox , sheep, camel and ass.'”
4 Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand-foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Yehudah.
5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.
6 And Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah until you come to Shur, which is opposite Egypt.
8 And he captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but everything vile and weak, that they utterly destroyed.
10 Then the word of YEHOWAH came to Samuel, saying,
11 “I repent that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not carried out My commandments.” And Samuel was kindled with anger, and he cried to YEHOWAH all night.
12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he established a place for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of YEHOWAH! I have performed the command of YEHOWAH.”
14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice unto YEHOWAH your Elohim; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and I will tell you what YEHOWAH said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
17 Samuel said, “Was it not when you were little in your own eyes, that you were made head of the tribes of Israel, and YEHOWAH anointed you king over Israel,
18 and YEHOWAH sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed?’
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of YEHOWAH but swooped upon the spoil and did evil in the sight of YEHOWAH?”
20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did hear the voice of YEHOWAH, and have gone on the way which YEHOWAH sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things doomed to destruction, to sacrifice unto YEHOWAH your Elohim at Gilgal.”
22 And Samuel said, “Has YEHOWAH as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of YEHOWAH? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of YEHOWAH, He has also rejected you from being king.”
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of YEHOWAH, and your words; for I feared the people and heard their voice.
25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship YEHOWAH.”
26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of YEHOWAH, and YEHOWAH has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 And as Samuel turned to go away, he laid hold of the edge of his mantle, and it tore.
28 And Samuel said to him, “YEHOWAH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.
29 Also the Eminence of Israel will not lie nor repent; for He is not a man that He should repent.”
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; please honor me now though, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship YEHOWAH your Elohim.”
31 So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped YEHOWAH.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring you near to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless above women.” And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before YEHOWAH at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel saw Saul no more, until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned over Saul. And YEHOWAH rued that He had made Saul king over Israel.

CHAPTER 16

And YEHOWAH said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have seen a king for Myself among his sons.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears, he will kill me.” And YEHOWAH said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to YEHOWAH.’
3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”
4 And Samuel did what YEHOWAH said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to YEHOWAH. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 And it came to pass, when they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely, YEHOWAH’S anointed is before Him.”
7 But YEHOWAH said to Samuel, “Look not on his appearance, nor on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for it is not as man sees, for man looks upon the outward appearance, but YEHOWAH looks upon the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “YEHOWAH has not chosen this one either.”
9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “YEHOWAH has not chosen this one either.”
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “YEHOWAH has not chosen these.”
11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And YEHOWAH said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and The Spirit of YEHOWAH came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah
14 And The Spirit of YEHOWAH departed from Saul, and an evil-spirit from YEHOWAH terrorized him.
15 And Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil-spirit from Elohim is terrorizing you;
16 let our lord now command your servants who are before you, to seek a man who is a knowledgeable player of the harp; and it shall come about when the evil-spirit from Elohim is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hands, and you will be well.”
17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
18 Then answered one of the servants, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is a skillful musician; he is a valiant man, a man of war; one prudent in speech, and a comely person; and YEHOWAH is with him.”
19 Therefore, Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the flock.”
20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a jug of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by David his son to Saul.
21 And David came to Saul and attended him; and he loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David, please, stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
23 And it came to pass, whenever the evil-spirit from Elohim came to Saul, David would take the harp and play with his hands; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil-spirit departed from him.

CHAPTER 17

And the Philistines assembled their armies for battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Yehudah, and they encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and encamped in the valley of Elon, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.
4 And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had a brass helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor that weighed five thousand shekels of brass.
6 He also had brass shin-armor on his legs and a brass javelin slung between his shoulders.
7 and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him.
8 And he stood and called out to the armies of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.
9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.”
10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the army of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Yehudah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And the man was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.
13 And the three older sons of Jesse had gone and followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 And David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul,
15 but David went and returned from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening for forty days.
17 And Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain, and these ten loaves, and run to the encampment to your brothers,
18 and carry these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and take their pledge,
19 for Saul and they, and all the men of Israel, are in the valley of Elon, fighting with the Philistines.”
20 So David rose up early in the morning, and left the flock with a keeper, and took, and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the trench of the encampment, while the army was going out in battle array, shouting the war cry.
21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army.
22 And David left the things he was carrying with the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the ranks, and came and saluted his brothers.
23 And as he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, came up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.
24 And when all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.
25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who comes up? Surely he comes to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living Elohim?”
27 The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.”
29 But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?”
30 And he turned from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner, and the people answered the same thing as before.
31 And when the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them to Saul, and he sent for him,
32 and David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight against this Philistine.”
33 Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, while he a man of war from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep, when there came a lion, and also a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
35 and I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
36 Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living Elohim.”
37 And David said, “YEHOWAH who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and YEHOWAH be with you.”
38 Then Saul armed David with his armor and put a brass helmet on his head, and he clothed him with a coat of mail.
39 And David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, but he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them off.
40 He took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag, which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came on and approached David, and the man that bore the shield went before him.
42 When the Philistine looked down and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a comely appearance.
43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his elohim.
44 The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowl of the sky and the beasts of the field.”
45 And David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of YEHOWAH of hosts, the Elohim of the armies of Israel, whom you have reproached.
46 This day will YEHOWAH deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that Elohim is in Israel,
47 and that all this assembly shall know that YEHOWAH does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is YEHOWAH’S and He will give you into our hands.”
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine rose up, and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran with haste toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand into his bag, and took from it a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.
51 Therefore, David ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Yehudah rose up and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines and plundered their encampment.
54 And David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
55 Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.”
56 The king said, “You inquire whose son the youth is.”
57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

CHAPTER 18

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking with Saul, that the soul of Yehnathan was knit to the soul of David, and Yehnathan loved him as himself.
2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
3 And Yehnathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul.
4 Yehnathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.
5 So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
6 And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with instruments of music.
7 And the women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
8 Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. And can he have more, but the kingdom?”
9 And Saul watched David with jealousy from that day forward.
10 And it came about on the next day that an evil-spirit from Elohim came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house, while David played the harp with his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul’s hand.
11 And Saul cast the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from his presence twice.
12 And Saul feared David, for YEHOWAH was with him but had departed from Saul.
13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him as his captain of a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
14 And David prospered in all his ways, for YEHOWAH was with him.
15 When Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he dreaded him.
16 But all Israel and Yehudah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
17 Then Saul said to David, “Behold, my eldest daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight YEHOWAH’S battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”
19 And it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David, and when they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him.
21 And Saul thought, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.”
22 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.'”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David, but David said, “Is it a light thing in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, seeing as I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?”
24 And the servants of Saul reported to him, saying, “On this manner did David speak”.
25 Saul then said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.'” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26 When his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. And before the allotted days had expired,
27 David rose up and went, he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife.
28 And Saul saw and knew that YEHOWAH was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him,
29 and then Saul was yet the more fearful of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.
30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth to battle, and it came to pass whenever they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed.

CHAPTER 19

And Saul told Yehnathan his son and all his servants that they should kill David,
2 but Yehnathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. So Yehnathan told David saying, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore, please take heed in the morning, and abide in secret, and hide yourself.
3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak about you with my father; and what I see, I will tell you.”
4 Then Yehnathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his works toward you have been very good.
5 For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistines, and YEHOWAH brought a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?”
6 Saul heard the voice of Yehnathan, and Saul vowed, “As YEHOWAH lives, he shall not be put to death.”
7 Then Yehnathan called David, and Yehnathan told him all these words. And Yehnathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly.
8 And there was war again, David went out and fought against the Philistines and struck them with great slaughter, so that they fled before him.
9 Now there was an evil-spirit from YEHOWAH on Saul. And he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand.
10 And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 And Saul sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him, in order to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will die.”
12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped.
13 And Michal took an image and laid it on the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes.
14 When Saul sent messengers to get David, she said, “He is sick.”
15 Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed, that I may kill him.”
16 When the messengers entered, behold, the image was on the bed with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head.
17 So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?'”
18 So David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth by Ramah.”
20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing over them, The Spirit of Elohim came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.
21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the great well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth by Ramah.”
23 And he went to Naioth by Ramah; and The Spirit of Elohim came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth by Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

CHAPTER 20

And David fled from Naioth by Ramah, and came and said to Yehnathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 And he said to him, “Elohim forbid; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without revealing it to me. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”
3 And David vowed again, saying, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Do not let Yehnathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly, as YEHOWAH lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 Then Yehnathan said to David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will do for you.”
5 And David said to Yehnathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.
6 If your father shall at all miss me, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’
7 If he says, ‘It is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, know that evil is determined by him.
8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of YEHOWAH with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?”
9 And Yehnathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew with certainty that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”
10 Then David said to Yehnathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you severely?”
11 Yehnathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out to the field.
12 Then Yehnathan said to David, “YEHOWAH Elohim of Israel! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the next day, behold, if there is good toward David, and I not then send to you and make it known to you,
13 but if it please my father to do you harm, may YEHOWAH do so to Yehnathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may YEHOWAH be with you as He has been with my father.
14 And you shall, not only while I live, show me the lovingkindness of YEHOWAH, that I may not die,
15 but you shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when YEHOWAH cuts off all the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
16 So Yehnathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May YEHOWAH require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”
17 And Yehnathan made David vow again, because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Yehnathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty.
19 When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on the day of the business, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.
20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a target.
21 And behold, I will send the lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, for there is peace for you and no harm, as YEHOWAH lives.
22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for YEHOWAH has sent you away.
23 As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, YEHOWAH is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field, and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.
25 And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, the seat by the wall; then Yehnathan rose up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26 Nevertheless, Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.”
27 And it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty; so Saul said to Yehnathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28 And Yehnathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,
29 for he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.’ He has, therefore, not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Yehnathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.”
32 But Yehnathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he die? What has he done?”
33 Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Yehnathan knew that his father had decided to kill David.
34 Then Yehnathan rose up from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat meat on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David, because his father had dishonored him.
35 And it came to pass in the morning that Yehnathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him.
36 And he said to his lad, “Run; find now the arrows that I am about to shoot.” As the lad was running, he shot an arrow past him.
37 When the lad reached the place of the arrow that Yehnathan had shot, Yehnathan called after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
38 And Yehnathan called after the lad, “Hurry, make haste, do not stay!” And Yehnathan’s lad picked up the arrow and came to his lord.
39 But the lad knew nothing; only Yehnathan and David knew about the matter.
40 Then Yehnathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
41 And as the lad went, David rose up from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, until David grew up
42 And Yehnathan said to David, “Go in safety, forasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of YEHOWAH, saying, ‘ YEHOWAH be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed forever.'” Then he rose up and departed, while Yehnathan went into the city.

CHAPTER 21

And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech was fearful to meet David, and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?”
2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me with a matter and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commanded you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’
3 Now therefore, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5 And David answered the priest and said to him, “Truthfully, women have been kept from us these three days, since we set out, and the vessels of the young men are consecrated even if it were an ordinary journey. Yet how much more then today will their vessels be holy?”
6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread, which was removed from before YEHOWAH, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.
7 Now a certain man, one of the servants of Saul, was there that day, detained before YEHOWAH; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.
8 And David said to Ahimelech, “And is there not here under your hand a spear or a sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.”
9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elon, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take that, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
10 Then David rose up, and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath.
11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him, dancing, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David took these words to heart, and was very fearful of Achish king of Gath,
13 so he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard.
14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why have you brought him to me?
15 Have I a lack of madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”

CHAPTER 22

And David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him.
2 And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one whose soul was embittered, gathered unto him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.
3 And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay among you, until I know what Elohim will do for me.”
4 Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they remained with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.
5 And the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart and go into the land of Yehudah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
6 Then Saul heard that David, and the men with him, had been discovered. Now Saul was sitting under a tree, on the height in Gibeah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
7 And Saul said to his servants who were standing about him, “Hear now, O Benyahminites! Will the son of Jesse give to every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds?
8 For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who shows to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
10 And he inquired of YEHOWAH for him, gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent and summoned Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king.
12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here am I, my lord.”
13 Saul then said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have inquired of Elohim for him, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?”
14 Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honored in your house?
15 Was it just today that I began to inquire of Elohim for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, nor to the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all of this; less or more.”
16 But the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”
17 And the king said to the footmen who stood about him, “Turn and slay the priests of YEHOWAH, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not reveal it to me.” But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to attack the priests of YEHOWAH.
18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests, and he killed that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.
19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword; men, women, children and infants; also oxen, asses, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of YEHOWAH.
22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of every person in your father’s household.
23 Abide with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life; for you are in safe keeping.”

CHAPTER 23

Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are plundering the threshing floors.”
2 Therefore, David inquired of YEHOWAH, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” And YEHOWAH said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we fear being here in Yehudah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
4 Then David inquired of YEHOWAH once more. And YEHOWAH answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah that he came down with an ephod in his hand.
7 And when it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “Elohim has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a city with gates and bars.”
8 So Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9 And when David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
10 Then David said, “O YEHOWAH, Elohim of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.
11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O YEHOWAH, Elohim of Israel, please tell Your servant.” And YEHOWAH said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And YEHOWAH said, “They will surrender you.”
13 Then David and his men, about six hundred, rose up and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. And when it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped going forth.
14 And David dwelled in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but Elohim did not deliver him into his hand.
15 Now David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, while David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the forest.
16 And Yehnathan, Saul’s son, rose up and went to David in the forest, and encouraged him in Elohim.
17 And he said to him, “Fear not, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also.”
18 And the two of them made a covenant before YEHOWAH; and David stayed in the forest while Yehnathan went to his house.
19 Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds in the forest, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the wasteland?
20 And now, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”
21 And Saul said, “Blessed be you of YEHOWAH, for you have had compassion on me.
22 Go now, prepare and make sure, and investigate and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.
23 See and know about all the hiding places where he hides himself and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Yehudah.”
24 Then they rose up and went to Ziph before Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of the wasteland.
25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men sought to surround David and his men to seize them.
27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Make haste and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land.”
28 Therefore, Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of the Divisions.
29 And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.

CHAPTER 24

And it came to pass, when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines that it was told him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”
2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the rocks of the wild goats.
3 And he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. And David and his men were sitting in the rear recesses of the cave.
4 And the men of David said to him, “Behold, the day of which YEHOWAH said to you, ‘Behold; I will give your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as seems good to you.'” Then David rose up and secretly cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.
5 And it came about afterward that David’s heart bothered him, because he cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.
6 So he said to his men, “YEHOWAH forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, YEHOWAH’S anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, for he is YEHOWAH’S anointed.”
7 And David swore his men with these words, and charged them not to rise up against Saul. And Saul rose up, left the cave, and went on his way.
8 David also rose up afterward, and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
9 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’?
10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen that YEHOWAH had delivered you this day into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but I spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is YEHOWAH’S anointed.’
11 Moreover, my father, see! See the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it.
12 YEHOWAH judge between you and me, and YEHOWAH avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.
13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked’; but my hand shall not be against you.
14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue; after a dead dog, after a single flea?
15 YEHOWAH therefore be judge and judge between you and me; and see, and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”
16 And it came to pass when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept,
17 and he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, while I have rewarded you with evil.
18 And you have shown this day how you have done well with me; forasmuch as when YEHOWAH delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.
19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away well? May YEHOWAH therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day.
20 And now, behold, I know well that you will be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.
21 Swear now therefore unto me by YEHOWAH, that you will not cut off my seed after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s household.”
22 And David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

CHAPTER 25

And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David rose up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And as he was shearing his sheep in Carmel,
3 now the name of the man was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail. And the woman was of good intelligence and beautiful in appearance, but the man was severe and evil in his dealings, and he was of the house of Caleb,
4 that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5 So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him in my name;
6 and this you shall say to him, ‘Long life, and peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
7 I have heard that you are shearing; whereas your shepherds have been with us, and we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel;
8 ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a good day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.'”
9 And when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David’s name; and then rested.
10 But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from their lord’s.
11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”
12 So David’s young men turned their way and went back; and they came and told him according to all these words.
13 And David said to his men, “Gird you, every man his sword.” So they girded on every man his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred remained with their baggage.
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to bless our lord, and he railed them.
15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields.
16 And they were a wall to us, both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.
17 Now therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is determined against our lord and against all his household; and he is such a son of Belial that none can speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, and two jugs of wine, and five sheep already dressed, and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on asses.
19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And as she was riding on the ass, and coming down by the hidden part of the hill, that behold, David and his men came down toward her; so she met them.
21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have guarded all that he has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that was his; and he has returned me evil for good.
22 So, and more also, may Elohim do to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that is his, as much as one who pisses against a wall by morning light.”
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hastened and got down from the ass, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground;
24 and she fell at his feet and said, “Upon me alone, my lord, be the iniquity; and please let your handmaid speak to you, and listen to the words of your handmaid.
25 Please do not let my lord regard this man of Belial, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your handmaid did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
26 And now my lord, as YEHOWAH lives, and as your soul lives, since YEHOWAH has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And let this blessing that your handmaid has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord,
28 and please forgive the sin of your handmaid; for YEHOWAH will certainly make my lord a permanent house, because my lord is fighting the battles of YEHOWAH, and evil will not be found in you all your days.
29 And if a man rises to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with YEHOWAH your Elohim; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
30 And when YEHOWAH does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,
31 this will be no grief or a stumbling-block to the heart of my lord, either by having shed blood without cause, or by my lord having avenged himself. And when YEHOWAH deals well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.”
32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be YEHOWAH Elohim of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,
33 and blessed be your judgment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand.
34 For indeed, as YEHOWAH Elohim of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, except you hastened to come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal, until the morning light, as much as one who pisses against a wall.”
35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your person.”
36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And it came to pass after about ten days, YEHOWAH struck Nabal and he died.
39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be YEHOWAH, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His servant from evil; but YEHOWAH has returned Nabal’s evil on his own head.” And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 And when the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you as his wife.”
41 And she rose up and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant of the family, to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
42 And Abigail hastened to rise up, and rode on an ass, with the five maidens who attended her; and she followed after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
43 David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they became, even both of them, his wives,
44 but Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

CHAPTER 26

And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Does not David hide on the hill of Hachilah, facing the wilderness?”
2 So Saul rose up and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul encamped by the hill of Hachilah, which faces the wilderness, by the wayside, and David dwelled in the wilderness. And when he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,
4 David sent out spies, and he knew that Saul had indeed come.
5 And David rose up and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying within the trench of the encampment, and the people were pitched round about him.
6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul into the encampment?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, “Elohim has delivered your enemy into your hand this day; and now, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Destroy him not, for who can stretch out his hand against YEHOWAH’S anointed and be guiltless?”
10 And David said, “As YEHOWAH lives, surely YEHOWAH will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
11 YEHOWAH forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against YEHOWAH’S anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.”
12 So David took the spear and the jug of water from Saul’s head, and went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from YEHOWAH had fallen upon them.
13 Then David crossed over to the other side, and stood on top of a hill far off; with a great space between them.
14 And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
15 So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why have you not guarded your lord the king, for one of the people came to destroy the king your lord?
16 This thing that you have done is not good. As YEHOWAH lives, you are worthy to die, because you did not guard your lord, YEHOWAH’S anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head.”
17 And Saul perceived David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.”
18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?
19 Now therefore, please let my lord the king, hear the words of his servant. If YEHOWAH has moved you against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is the children of men, cursed be they before YEHOWAH, for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of YEHOWAH, saying, ‘Go, serve other elohim.’
20 Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of YEHOWAH; for the king of Israel has come out to seek for a flea, just as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly and have erred exceedingly.”
22 And David answered and said, “Behold the king’s spear! Let one of the young men come over and take it.
23 YEHOWAH will return to each man his righteousness and his faithfulness; for YEHOWAH delivered you into my hand this day, but I was not willing to stretch forth my hand against YEHOWAH’S anointed.
24 And behold, as your life was highly valued in my eyes this day, so let my life be highly valued in the eyes of YEHOWAH, and may He deliver me out of all distress.”
25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will both do much and surely prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

CHAPTER 27

And David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul will despair of me, and seek me no more in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”
2 So David rose up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow.
4 And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there; for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Yehudah to this day.
7 And the number of days that David dwelled in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for they were of old the inhabitants of the land; as you come to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt.
9 And David struck the land, and left neither man nor woman alive. And he took away the sheep, the cattle, the asses, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish.
10 Now Achish said, “Where have you raided today?” And David said, “Against the south country of Yehudah and against the south country of the Jerahmeelites and against the south country of the Kenites.”
11 And David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, “Lest they should tell of us, saying, ‘Thus has David done, and such has been his manner, all the time he has dwelled in the country of the Philistines.'”
12 And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made himself utterly loathsome among his people Israel; therefore he shall be my servant forever.”

CHAPTER 28

And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered together their armies for warfare, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the encampment, you and your men.”
2 And David said to Achish, “Surely, you shall know what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Surely, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists.
4 So the Philistines gathered together and came and encamped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they encamped in Gilboa.
5 When Saul saw the encampment of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.
6 And when Saul inquired of YEHOWAH, YEHOWAH did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”
8 And Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Please divine for me, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.”
9 And the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”
10 And Saul vowed to her by YEHOWAH, saying, “As YEHOWAH lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.”
13 And the king said to her, “Fear not; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see an elohim coming up out of the earth.”
14 And he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me to bring me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and Elohim has departed from me and no longer answers me, neither by prophets nor by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.”
16 Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since YEHOWAH has departed from you and has become your adversary?
17 YEHOWAH has done for Himself as He spoke through me; for YEHOWAH has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David,
18 because you did not obey YEHOWAH, and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek. So YEHOWAH has done this thing to you this day.
19 And YEHOWAH will also deliver Israel, along with you, into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Moreover, YEHOWAH will deliver the host of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!”
20 Then Saul immediately fell his full length upon the ground, and was very afraid, because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.
21 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he trembled, and said to him, “Behold, your handmaid has obeyed you, and I have put my life in my hand, and have heard the words that you spoke to me.
22 So now also, please hear the voice of your handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”
23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he heard their voice. So he rose up from the ground and sat on the bed.
24 And the woman had a fattened calf in the court, and she quickly slaughtered it; and she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it.
25 And she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate, and they rose up and went away that night.

CHAPTER 29

And the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.
2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by the hundreds and by the thousands, but David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish.
3 Then the commanders of the Philistines said, “Why are these Hebrews here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since the day he fell to me to this day?”
4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man go back, that he may return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this man reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men?
5 For is this not David, of whom they sing in the dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”
6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As YEHOWAH lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the encampment is pleasing in my eyes; for I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day. But, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords.
7 And now, return and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 But Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are good in my eyes, like an angel of Elohim; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us to the battle.’
10 Now then rise up early in the morning, with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and as soon as you rise up early in the morning, and have light, depart.”
11 So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

CHAPTER 30

And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the south country and on Ziklag, and struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 and they took the women captive, and all who were in it, both great and small. And they put none to death, but carried them off and went their way.
3 So when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
5 And David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people were grieved, every man, because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in YEHOWAH his Elohim.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 And David inquired of YEHOWAH, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely deliver all.”
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind remained,
10 but David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor, and remained behind.
11 Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they gave him water to drink;
12 and they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit came again to him, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt a servant of an Amalekite; and my lord abandoned me when I fell sick three days ago.
14 We made a raid on the south country of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Yehudah, and on the south country of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 Then David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?” And he said, “Swear to me by Elohim that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my lord, and I will bring you down to this troop.”
16 And he brought him down, and behold, they were spread abroad over the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Yehudah.
17 And David struck them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and rescued his two wives.
19 And nothing of theirs was missing, whether great or small, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds that they drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21 And when David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, and David came near the people and saluted them.
22 And all the wicked men of Belial among those who went with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
23 But David said, “You must not do so, my brethren, with what YEHOWAH has given us; who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us,
24 and who will hear you in this matter. For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the stuff; they shall share alike.”
25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Yehudah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of YEHOWAH:
27 to those in Bethel, and to those in south Ramoth, and to those in Jattir,
28 and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa,
29 and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to those in Hormah, and to those in Chor-ashan, and to those in Athach,
31 and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go.”

CHAPTER 31

And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Yehnathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul.
3 And the battle went heavy against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul told his armor bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.
5 And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
6 Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men, that same day together.
7 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelled in them.
8 And it came to pass on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa,
9 and they cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to announce the good news to the house of their idols, and to the people.
10 And they put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shean.
11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the men of valor rose up and walked all night, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
13 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.